Terrebonne panel forms subcommittee after residents raise complaints about Recreation District 1

The Terrebonne Parish Public Services Committee voted 7-1 on Oct. 13 to create a recreation subcommittee after residents and a former employee described long-running disputes with Recreation District Number 1 over access, scheduling and facility upkeep.

Councilman Carl Harding introduced the agenda item and said the discussion followed multiple citizen complaints that began in September and related to practices at Rec District 1 facilities in Gray. “The people that actually made these complaints feel as if that they've been very, very supportive of this particular recreation district, and that recreation district have put them in a position where they have supported them,” Harding said during the meeting.

Why it matters: Recreation districts operate and maintain parks and fields used by neighborhood leagues, after-school programs and informal play. Residents said restricted access and unclear scheduling have limited local teams’ ability to practice and use neighborhood facilities, and they asked the Parish to use its oversight to resolve the conflicts.

Residents who spoke told the committee they could not use fields they had long used, and complained of locked gates, inconsistent enforcement of hours and difficulties obtaining keys. “We don't have keys to it,” said Anthony Rainey of Gray, describing youth teams being denied access to the baseball and football fields. Dawn Johnson, a Gray resident, told the committee that community members wanted only “to be able to have the programs” and to be treated “fair and just.”

A former Rec District 1 employee, Clarence Francis, described maintenance and access problems he said he witnessed while employed by the district and said some needed repairs were deferred. He said fields were locked and restroom access blocked at times.

Quality of Life department representative (identified in the record as Miss Neil) and other staff briefed the committee on ownership and scheduling rules. The representative told the committee that Recreation District 1 is the legal owner of most properties it operates; the parish does not own those sites. She said the district terminated a lease for a football field behind Randolph Park for budget reasons and that termination was within the district’s authority. She also said scheduling conflicts were often the result of miscommunication and that the parish’s calendar system did not always notify all stakeholders automatically.

Miss Neil summarized code provisions about park hours, noting that public parks are generally governed by criminal statutes that permit police enforcement when people remain after posted hours, and that exceptions allow court or permitted activities and illuminated tennis courts to remain open later. She also raised district concerns about insurance and liability for continuously open fields and recommended the parish review insurance and possible statutory immunity for recreational activities.

Committee action and next steps: Councilman Harding moved to form a recreation subcommittee to report back to the Public Services Committee. The motion, seconded by Councilman Wazen, called for the subcommittee to include the council chair and two council-appointed members; the subcommittee is to: (1) work with the parish attorney and administration to resolve scheduling and communication issues; (2) investigate complaints filed against recreation district boards; and (3) review and recommend revisions to the recreation manual. Members voted 7 yeas, 1 nay. Motion carries.

The subcommittee will report to the Public Services Committee; the committee did not set a specific deadline for the subcommittee’s first report during the Oct. 13 meeting.

What was not decided: The parish did not direct Rec District 1 to reverse the lease termination or order immediate reopening of any facility. Officials said Rec District 1 controls its property and that some remedies require working with private owners or the leasing party. Committee members recommended further meetings with the Gray Improvement Committee and the district board, and suggested exploring automatic notifications in the parish scheduling software and insurance review as short-term steps.

Community context and concerns: Speakers pressed the council to prioritize youth access to play fields and to reduce scheduling confusion between the parish’s Quality of Life programs and Rec District 1. Committee discussion repeatedly returned to communication fixes (calendar notifications), liability and whether parish staff could help provide personnel coverage at facilities that Rec District 1 cannot staff during evening hours.

The committee also heard specific examples of alleged conduct by district leaders that residents said constrained access and maintenance; the council instructed the subcommittee to consider complaints and, in coordination with the parish attorney, investigate where appropriate.

Provenance: The committee introduced the item at the Public Services Committee meeting (transcript block starting at 811.5) and concluded with the subcommittee vote (transcript block starting at 2740.205).